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Google: The Missing Manual
Looking at the table of contents (for some reason PDF only), I figured out the book might be useful for someone relatively new to the Internet with intrinsic fear of doing something wrong (which pretty much describes my parents as well as their friends within the same age group). Chapters 8 and 9 on Web-mastering with Google might be useful, as it talks about buying AdWords for ad campaigns and serving AdSense for making money off the Web site. Still, I was interested to see what the book had to offer and started reading from Chapter 1, only to find this useful tip on page 24:
A lot of people probably knew this, but Google allows you to do a phrase search even if you don't have an idea of what the complete phrase looks like. Wildcard search allows one to use an asterisk for any word that's missing. Google will fill it in automatically. Pretty useful for finding the lyrics for that song you heard on the radio, but couldn't figure out the last word.
But this is not a Google tutorial: it turned out to be surprisingly useful even for me, someone who uses Google probably about a hundred times a day. Google features have that feeling of serendipity, where you can use the engine just fine without knowing anything advanced, but once you discover a few shortcuts, there's truly no replacement. For example, the book tells you what kind of numbers can be usefully entered into the Google search window: you can search for area codes, ISBN numbers, UPC numbers, flight numbers, Fedex/UPS/USPS tracking numbers as well as vehicle ID numbers (btw, the car is for sale).
Chapter 4 is very informative for Google's less frequently used services - Groups and Answers. While Google Groups and the Usenet search are probably bookmarked by any geek out there, not many people know that Google runs a paid service that can help you if you're just stuck with no results. Moreover, once the answer is posted and someone has paid for it, Google allows all the visitors to browse it for free, and some advice, for example, in small business section, can save a trip to the lawyer or paid consultant. The book takes the reader through the process of setting up an Answers account (which is actually the same account as the one for Groups) and asking informative questions requiring additional research.
Google: The Missing Manual is a pleasant book to read. Lots of screenshots (although all black-and-white), detailed information on the services and quite useful tips for newbies as well as professionals, clearly marked chapters, notes and tips spread throughout the book all make for a good reading experience. It's interesting URLs like this one that show that the authors really put time and effort into creating a book that's fun as well as informative.
Will the book be useful for an average Slashdot reader? Unlikely, since most of the information is already out there and most of the people here don't need a hand-holding walk-through into Google services. Will it be useful for Webmasters? Most of the tips I've read in the last two chapters were pretty much something I knew before. It's not something you need when you've had your own Web site for a few years, but the book is pretty good if you've just started up building Web pages. Also, since so many features have been only recently introduced, the book doesn't cover things like graphic ads in AdSense or Gmail accounts.
For someone quite unexperienced with the Internet or those seeking to gain expertise in Google services and broaden their research skills, though, it is a useful, fun-to-read title. It's not expensive either, so while I think for most of the geeks it's redundant, it would be a good gift for those in the family who keep calling and asking questions that begin with "Where do I find...?"
You can purchase Google: The Missing Manual from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews. To see your own review here, carefully read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Well, when a hairdryer needs a warning label about use in the shower.......
Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master.
Whats the deal with all this missing manuals? Someone needs to get fired.
People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them
Step Two: Hit Enter
Slashdot, The Missing Manual
What in the name of the Eversmiling Buddha could possibly fill those pages?
Writer: "I couldn't come up with much, I apologize."
Editor: "Don't worry, we'll just use a 14 point font."
An effective signature identifies a particular user amongst a base of thousands.
If you find your penis is missing, look in the medicine chest.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Next Up: Solitaire, The missing manual.
Surely they meant "anything that follows Ctrl-Alt-F1".
"F1" does nothing here.
And Ctrl-Alt-F1 isn't even that scary unless you're on a distro like knoppix, that has that screen already logged in to someone with password-less sudo ability.
(or did I not understand what they were trying to say)
Wildcard search allows one to use an asterisk for any word that's missing. Google will fill it in automatically. Pretty useful for finding the lyrics for that song you heard on the radio, but couldn't figure out the last word.
If you were missing the last word, you could just type in the part you remember ( the first X words ) and it would do the exact same thing as the wildcard!
Wildcard is usefull when you have a phrase you want to search for that can include generalities. For example, "The crooks at SCO are a bunch of * *" could match:
Bug: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q= 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000+light+years+to+ picometers&btnG=Search
"inf picometers" :)
"'Yrch!' said Legolas, falling into his own tongue."